The Ligonier Valley School District community was shocked this week by the unexpected death of school board member Joseph Vella.
Vella, 54, who was midway through his first term on the board, died Tuesday at his Ligonier Township home.
The cause of death has yet to be determined, according to Vella’s father, Salvatore. “He was sitting in his favorite chair,” said the elder Vella. “It was totally unexpected.
“He had a very warm , outgoing personality. He would do anything for you.”
There were many things Vella was looking forward to, according to his district colleague and frequent golfing partner, school board President Don Gilbert Jr.
Vella had agreed to take part in a board committee tasked with working on a long-range strategic plan for the district, and he was weeks away from seeing the middle of this three children, Zachary, graduate from Ligonier Valley High School.
He and Gilbert also were planning their next golf date.
“We had been friends for several years before he was a member of the school board,” said Gilbert. “We had golf as a common bond. We wanted to try to get out and get a round of golf in this week.
“I was with him the day prior to his passing. It was a big shock.”
An avid golfer and a former assistant coach of the sport at Ligonier Valley, Vella was a member of the Ligonier Country Club and played Wednesdays as part of a league at Champion Lakes Golf Course north of Ligonier.
“Champion Lakes was where he played golf most of the time,” his father said. “He loved listening to the older guys up there tell their stories.
“He just wanted to improve his game and get better at it.”
Gilbert said Vella was an energetic man who was passionate in his beliefs, including strong support for Republican causes and President Donald Trump.
At Ligonier Valley, Gilbert said, “He wanted to be involved with as many facets of the district as possible.”
Vella chaired the curriculum committee and previously led a committee involved with transportation and attendance issues. He was a Ligonier Valley representative to the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit and had been a member of the Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center Joint Operating Committee.
An alumnus of Greater Latrobe Senior High, he was a Marine veteran and a former member of the Fort Ligonier and Ligonier Valley YMCA boards.
Pursuing a career as a software developer, his roles in the industry included a decade as president of Ligonier-based Divium and pursuing freelance work through the Ligonier Consulting Group.
One of his most recent clients was the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. In addition to promoting education about 9/11, that charitable organization offers assistance to injured veterans and first responders and families of those who have perished in military or emergency service.
“He wrote the software that Tunnel to Towers uses for screening applicants and identifying their needs and requirements,” his father said. “It just went live a month ago.”
Joseph Vella also had a gift for cooking, according to his father.
“He did love to cook,” he said. “He did all our holiday meals. They were fancy.”
A favorite dish he prepared was a bread pudding popularized by celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse.
“It was out of this world,” said his father.
In addition to his parents, Salvatore and Ann Marie, Vella is survived by his wife, Connie; three children, Steven, Zachary and Grace; brothers Salvatore Jr. and Michael and their families.
A funeral service was held Friday at Snyder-Green Funeral Home in Ligonier.
According to state law, the seat vacated by Vella’s death is to be filled through appointment by the remaining board members. The appointee would serve until Dec. 1, with voters electing a candidate to serve our the remaining two years of Vella’s term.